The Pakistani Taliban says that cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan would be one of five members of a committee set up to hold talks with the government.
Saturday's announcement came days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif named a similar team to facilitate dialogue with the extremists, who have waged a deadly insurgency since 2007.
"The committee members will hold talks with their interlocutors in the government's team on our behalf and put forth our point of view," Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told AFP.
Khan is joined by the chief cleric of Islamabad's Red Mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz, and three senior religious party leaders: Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, Mufti Kifayatullah and Professor Ibrahim Khan.
Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, has been a vocal supporter of negotiating with insurgents.
"Our position is very clear. We have full confidence in the committee formed by the government," his spokesperson, Shireen Mazari, said.
Aziz, told AFP the committee was a "noble cause".
"I will continue to be part of the committee if the government shows sincerity in looking into (Taliban) demands - and of course the major demand is enforcement of Sharia law in the country," he said.
Sharif came to power last year pledging to reach out to the Taliban and engage in talks to end their seven-year insurgency.
But he has been criticised for failing to set a strategy to respond to a surge in militant violence which has resulted in 114 deaths since the start of the year, according to an AFP tally.
